This invention relates to a coupling device for quickly connecting a plurality of first fluid conduits to a plurality of corresponding second fluid conduits and quickly disconnecting them from each other and, more particularly, to a coupling device in which a force applied in one axial direction connects multiple aligned male and female couplers to each other and a force applied in the other axial direction disconnects them.
Manually connecting and disconnecting multiple fluid conduits through couplers is time consuming. It is sometimes difficult to accomplish the connections and disconnections because of the closeness of the multiple fluid conduits to each other. Metal chips from prior metal cutting, for example, can become stacked around the coupling device to possibly cut the skin of the person when connection or disconnection is being made.
Accordingly, various mechanical coupling devices have previously been used to connect and disconnect the fluid conduits. These mechanical coupling devices have required various complex arrangements such as pivotal levers or movable plates, for example. Examples of these types of mechanical coupling devices are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,063 to Barlow et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,135 to Weirich et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,546 to Nash et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,268 to Palau, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,459 to Gray et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,530 to Mahaney, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,894 to Eybergen.
The coupling device of the present invention avoids the complexity of the previously available mechanical coupling devices in that the only force required to connect or disconnect multiple male and female couplers simultaneously is applied along the axis of each of the female couplers and the aligned axis of the corresponding male coupler with which it is to be connected or disconnected. A pushing force is required to connect the multiple male and female couplers, and a pulling force is required when they are to be disconnected.
The coupling device of the present invention is used only when each of the female couplers has a slidable locking sleeve. There must be relative axial movement between the locking sleeve and the female coupler on which the locking sleeve is slidably mounted to enable activation of internal structure of the female coupler to disconnect each pair of connected multiple male and female couplers simultaneously from each other. Of course, when this is being accomplished manually, each disconnection must be made separately.
The coupling device of the present invention uses a single force applying mechanism, which is preferably a manually movable handle although any other suitable force applying mechanism may be employed such as a pneumatic or hydraulic force applying mechanism, for example, The axial forces are preferably applied directly to each of the female couplers. However, the axial forces may be applied to each of the female couplers through the male coupler to which it is coupled.
An object of this invention is to provide a coupling device for applying an axial push force to connect multiple male and female couplers to each other simultaneously and an axial pull force to disconnect multiple male and female couplers from each other simultaneously.
Another object of this invention is to provide a coupling device having an arrangement for limiting movement of female couplers in both directions when an axial push or pull force is applied to either each of the female couplers simultaneously or each of the corresponding male couplers simultaneously to connect or disconnect them.
Other objects of this invention will be readily perceived from the following description, claims, and drawings.
This invention relates to a coupling device for connecting a plurality of first fluid conduits to a corresponding plurality of second fluid conduits and for disconnecting them from each other. The coupling device includes a plurality of male couplers with each communicating with one of the plurality of first fluid conduits and a plurality of female couplers, equal in number to the number of the plurality of male couplers, communicating with one of the plurality of second fluid conduits. Each of the plurality of female couplers has a locking sleeve slidably mounted thereon for relative axial movement therebetween when each of the plurality of female couplers is to be disconnected from the connected male coupler. The coupling device has first support means for supporting the plurality of male couplers in substantially parallel axial relation to each other and second support means for supporting the plurality of female couplers in substantially parallel axial relation to each other. The second support means supports each of the plurality of female couplers for enabling axial movement of each of the plurality of female couplers along its axis relative to the second support means in either axial direction. Causing means causes simultaneous movement of each of the plurality of female couplers relative to the second support means in one axial direction when one of the first and second support means is moved relative to the other to cause engagement between each of the plurality of female couplers and the male coupler axially aligned therewith to connect them together and for causing simultaneous movement of each of the plurality of female couplers relative to the second support means in the opposite axial direction when one of the first and second support means is moved relative to the other to cause relative axial movement between each of the plurality of female couplers and the locking sleeve slidably mounted thereon to disconnect each of the plurality of female couplers and the connected male coupler.